Billie Jean Wants Americans To Be Kings In Participation Not Winning

March 6, 1988|By Melissa Isaacson of the Sentinel Staff

BOCA RATON — Five years after retiring from the women's professional tennis circuit, Billie Jean King is still plugging away, peddling the game, encouraging participation at the grass roots level, and agonizing that the sport is not doing a good enough job of increasing its popularity.

It bothers King that there seems to be so much hand-wringing over the lack of American champions.

''Do we care how many players we have in the top 10 in the world or are we interested in getting the participation level up?'' King asked. ''Personally, I'd like to get our participation levels up.

''We need people to think tennis is a bigger sport. We need children to say, 'I am a tennis player,' instead of saying, 'I like baseball or basketball.' We need more and more people playing tennis and thinking tennis is a big deal.''

King, originator of the team tennis concept (and commissioner of Domino's Team Tennis) said she understands why most children are not as attracted to tennis as other sports. ''I talked to one woman who said she had a 14-year-old son who would rather play football and basketball just because his friends play football and basketball,'' King said.

''That's it. It has to be social. In a tennis tournament, half the people lose the first day, but you have to keep playing if you're going to be any good.''

There's also the old problem usually associated with Americans -- that all-important quest to be No. 1. ''We do not think anyone's a winner in tennis unless they win a tournament,'' King said.

King said she does not believe that future American champions are going to come from high-priced academies.

''I don't think people in this country know that Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Arthur Ashe and I all came from park and rec programs.

''The United States spoils kids. I think we need to find kids who don't have a lot. And we don't need to give them all kinds of equipment and things. They need to earn it.

''Equipment lists should change. When I was on a free list, I got two rackets a year. I remember winning a tournament in Philadelphia with one racket. I wrapped adhesive tape around the frame and put fingernail polish on the strings so it wouldn't fray.''

King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert at Pam Shriver are in Boca Raton this weekend for an exhibition doubles match to raise money for the Women's Sports Foundation Aspire Higher Campaign. It will be aired at 1:30 p.m. April 3 on ABC-TV.

Last year, the event raised more than $150,000.

The match will be played in a ''breakaway'' format, which rewards a team for breaking the serves of an opponent. If service is held, then the prize money rolls over to the next game. Shriver will be teamed with Evert.

Last year Evert and Shriver came back from four games down to defeat the favorite Navratilova and King in straight sets.